For two years we’ve designed over 1,000 face filters like Snapchat. We tracked how users engage with them, tested concepts and researched selfie trends.
Have we managed to find a formula for the ideal face filter? Nope. Do we know how to design a damn good face filter app that users will have fun playing with? You bet.
Here are our insights on face filters that users prefer most which you, a mobile developer, may steal away if you want to build a successful face filter app.
Type #1. (Surprise, surprise…) Funny face filters
Think, what do social networks say about us? Master degrees. Courses and certificates. Years of experience and track records of success. Been there. Seen that… Let’s be honest — it’s BOOORING.
We are a perfect employee or dating material on social media. But in life, we want to be funny, express emotions and show our attitude to things. Face filters allow doing that better than words.
Face filter insights
The word “fun” is among the most frequent adjectives in mask apps’ 5* ratings. The number one reason why millennials fall for face filters like Snapchat. People use them to entertain themselves, express self-irony and show a different, funnier side of their personality.
Girls like fun filters with beards and boys — girlish looks. Users are more likely to share selfies with some extraordinary looks that turn them to someone else.
Hint for your mask app
- Your filters need to be fun. Catchy. Magic. And they need to create a positive experience.
- Selfie filters that provoke negative emotions like fear or disgust fail to resonate with the audience, especially female.
- It doesn’t mean you should avoid crappy filters. You just need to provide filters that match with your particular audience. With their idea of fun. A zombie face mask filter may catch the fancy of Zombie game fans.
- Think what fun means for your target audience. Add this to your customer persona and keep this in mind when designing your fun app AR scenarios.
Type #2. Beautification face filters
Beautification face filters similar to Snapchat enhance user skin tone, add morphing (slim down cheeks and nose), emphasize eyes and add makeup. No matter when you woke up, with this, you always look like a magazine cover both in photo and video.
Face enhancement may come stand-alone or as a part of filter which features other elements, e.g. doggy nose or cat’s ears.
Face filter insights
On social networks, many people disapprove Snapchat’s beautification face filters. People don’t want to admit its usage as severe beautification disappoints them — it creates a sense of ‘fake’ beauty.
READ MORE: Beautification — “Can’t blame me for wanting to look better”
However, real time beautification helps to mitigate camera distortions and enhance skin tone. If you make it as a part of a cute filter, add motion stickers or animation allowing users to show their personality — you are on the right track.
Hint for your mask app
- Beautification filters in its pure form resonate well with female users aged 18–25.
- You can increase the outreach if you put the story behind a face beautification filter — an exotic location like seaside or jungles. This way you give users ‘justification’ for sharing their photos which feature a story users want to tell.
- If you make unobtrusive beautification a part of live filter, e.g. virtual try-on or add rich animation to it, users will enjoy the augmented reality experience and won’t feel uncomfortable when sharing it on their social networks.
Type #3. Virtual try-on face filters
While most face filters can be classified as “app filters” (one that creates a magic experience within the app), face filters that feature real-world objects like eyewear or headwear create lifestyle looks.
Such filters are a hot topic in e-commerce where brands advertise real products and inspire purchases through AR experience.
Face filter insights
Millennials often experiment with new looks and share them on social networks. Such hashtags as #mystyle, #mylook, #newlook have over 10 million posts each on Instagram. Each one features selfies about user appearance — new outfits, hair color, glasses. With virtual try-on face filters, users can change themselves in less than a second.
Filters with cool sunglasses or eyeglasses, hats, earrings or face piercing have proved to be popular among 18–35 female audience.
Hint for your mask app
- Virtual try-on face filters look professional if the augmented reality objects match with real physical ones.
- With powerful rendering features of a face filter SDK , it’s possible to create good-looking effects that throw shadows, glitter, and look similar to real objects in size, color, shape and texture.
#4. Classical face filters like Snapchat
Started in 2011 as a gimmick, today Snapchat lenses are used by over 70 million people DAILY and we can’t but mention its funny face filters that went viral and are popular till these days.
Most popular Snapchat face filters
- The rainbow vomit where opening your mouth triggered a rainbow.
- Doggy nose face filter that simultaneously freaks out and amazes many of us.
- Face swap filter that changes your face with another person giving us numerous funny memes.
- Wrap your face effect that turns your face into… whatever it is.
- Morph filters that change your face proportions giving you enormous eyes, mouth or nose.
- Flower crown that girls like so much.
Hint for your mask app
- When working on your own face filter app keep in mind Snapchat’s best practices.
- NEVER ever compromise on filter performance. Having been on Snapchat, users will expect the same level of quality.
#5. Face filters with triggers
Triggers are small AR scenarios that users call with their facial expressions. You can interact with effects or call them with your facial expressions, i.e. open mouth, smile, raise eyebrows or frown.
Face filter insights
Users love effects with triggers and use it widely when taking short videos. It’s a great way to add engagement to your face filters and prolong a user session.
With triggers, you can bring in a playful element and create amazing scenarios that users will have fun watching again and again.
Hint for your mask app
- Face filter with triggers are great for allowing users to express their mood.
- Best performing trigger is a smile that calls some cute effects and animation, e.g. butterflies or sun rays.
- Shocking effects may add virality to your app, e.g. the Spider effect provoked some negative reviews as some users found it too scary. Yet, at the same time, it was one of the most shared and recognisable effects.
